Catherine Ihrke

I conduct research on the analytical spectroelectrochemical characterization of organic redox intermediates, research I have extended to the development of surface-sensitive spectroelectrochemical methods to determine enzymatic activity in real time. Electrochemistry is uniquely suited to mechanistic studies of biosensors involving enzymes, especially when combined with spectroscopic techniques. By using these techniques, I am granted an increased interfacial signal that allows me to better study the electrode/electrolyte interface whilst detecting real-time products and species generated during the spectroelectrochemical sequence. I apply this approach to ferrocene-modified polymers to elucidate enzymatic mechanisms and to follow the real-time production of chemical species by measuring their spectral fingerprints using surface-enhanced spectroscopies.